Back to Black: The Amy Winehouse biopic cast vs their real life counterparts
Just 13 years after Amy Winehouse's death, her life story is being dramatised in the newly released biopic Back To Black.
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and starring a cast of relatively unknown British stars, the film has been plagued by controversy since it was first announced in 2022.
One of the biggest issues fans have taken with the flick is the casting of Winehouse herself.
Keep reading to see who plays her in the film, and compare the biopic cast to their real life counterparts.
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Amy Winehouse, played by Marisa Abela
Amy Winehouse was the first woman to ever win five Grammy Awards and her impact on the music industry is still being felt today, both for her killer vocals and unique style.
But her fame came with a dark side too; Winehouse struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, public relationship breakdowns, and a tense relationship with the press.
Amy died of alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011. She was 27.
All of this is touched on in Back to Black, with Industry actress Marisa Abela stepping into the late singer's leopard-print pumps for the role.
Remember to drink responsibly. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline on 1800 250 015 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
As soon as her casting was announced, fans took issue with the fact that - aside from her dark eyes and hair - Abela doesn't bear much of a resemblance to the real-life Amy.
Critics were also frustrated that a star with more musical experience wasn't cast as Amy, many claiming that a professional singer should have been given the role.
Lauren Jauregui, a member of Fifth Harmony, was a popular choice among fans, both for her resemblance to Winehouse and her vocals.
But Abela revealed in a Before The Lights podcast appearance that she lost weight and took vocal lessons to better portray Amy.
"I almost see my body as a true instrument that I'm training for a job. I need to work at it in the same way that I'm practicing guitar," she said.
Prior to starring in Back to Black, Abela as had a small role as Teen Talk Barbie in Greta Gerwig's Barbie film, led by Margot Robbie.
The 27-year-old got her big break in the series Industry in 2020, just one year after graduating from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Blake Fielder-Civil, played by Jack O'Connell
Blake Fielder-Civil was Amy's real-life husband (for a time) and their relationship inspired her Grammy Award-winning album Back to Black.
The pair met in a pub in 2005, then married in Miami in 2007. When asked about their union, Amy once said the "whole marriage was based on doing drugs".
She and Fielder-Civil both struggled with substance abuse and their on-and-off romance was often violent, according to reports at the time. They divorced in 2009.
Fielder-Civil is played by British actor Jack O'Connell in Back to Black.
To prepare for the role, O'Connell spent an afternoon with Fielder-Civil and was struck by how much love he still had for Amy.
"He spoke so highly of Amy. There was something so genuine in how he spoke, it was unquestionable to me that he loved her," the actor said, via The Standard.
O'Connell cut his teeth playing James Cook in British cult TV show Skins in the 2010s, before landing roles in several TV series and independent films.
He nabbed the BAFTA Rising Star Award for his role in the war film Unbroken in 2014, and more recently starred in a film adaption of Lady Chatterley's Lover in 2022.
Mitch Winehouse, played by Eddie Marsan
Amy's father, Mitch Winehouse, played a pivotal role in her life and career, so it's no wonder he plays such a large part in Back to Black.
He was a window panel installer and taxi driver, but had a great love of music that he passed on to his daughter.
Mitch and Amy's mother, Janis Winehouse, separated when she was nine. Amy continued to live with her mother and would spend weekends with her dad and his girlfriend.
He's played by Eddie Marsan in Back to Black.
Known for his roles in The Gentlemen and Ray Donovan, Marsan also met with his real-life counterpart to ensure his portrayal of Mitch in the film was accurate.
"I sat with him on numerous occasions, I asked him about every aspect of his life," he told Digital Spy.
"One of the things that came over me, and it's one of the reasons why when I was working on it, I wrote at the top of the script, 'He's a father'. That's what he is, a father, and that's exactly how I played him."
Janis Winehouse-Collins, played by Juliet Cowan
Janis Winehouse-Collins, Amy's mother, was a central figure in the singer's life and is portrayed by Juliet Cowan in Back to Black.
Janis was a pharmacist and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2003, when Amy was just 20 years old.
After splitting from Amy's dad Mitch in the 1992, Janis went on to meet and married her now-husband Richard Collins.
Cowan is a Northern Irish actress best known for her reoccurring role on the kids show The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as guest appearances in soaps like EastEnders, Silent Witness and Casualty.
